Airlines break Darlington Quartet’s 200-year-old cello

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The Perth-based Darlington Quartet has faced a troubling start to its European tour, as cellist Jon Tooby’s instrument was found to have been severely damaged when the ensemble arrived at Manchester Airport in the UK on 1 September. The journey was made with two airlines: Qantas Airlines, which has denied any liability, and British Airways which, at time of writing, has yet to respond.

Upon discovery of the damage, the cello was taken to Tim Toft Violins, who declared it a result of ‘excessive handling’ and said it may take months to repair. The cello has cracked in at least two places along its back as well as cracking its soundpost, which according to the Darlington Concerts’ social media account suggests ‘it must have been dropped from quite a distance’.

‘Jon’s cello is over 200 years old and these instruments are basically irreplaceable. The damage severely devalues the instrument and repairs don’t guarantee that the cello will retain its original qualities,’ the social media post added.

The cello was in a Presto Case double-thick fibreglass flight case that was enveloped in bubble wrap and placed in the hold of the airplanes, a method Tooby has successfully employed in the past.

‘The flight case was so strong and completely untouched by what impact it endured which can suggest only one thing: that it was dropped from a decent height, i.e. mishandled spectacularly, particularly given I covered the case in a thick layer of bubble wrap and had FRAGILE written all over it,’ said Tooby.

As the travel was booked through Qantas Airlines, Tooby first reported the damage there. However, while the airline expressed its sympathy for the damage, it has refused any liability for the incident.

‘As per standard practice, the airline operating the last flight of a customer’s journey is responsible for reporting and managing any damaged baggage, regardless of where the issue originated.’

Tooby was loaned a cello by Tim Toft Violins, enabling him to perform his quartet and Elgar Cello Concerto concert engagements. ‘I was angry and devastated when I opened the case, but now feel blessed to have met these wonderful people from Tim Toft violins who have lent me this lovely cello,’ said Tooby.

‘Playing Elgar, which was already something a bit daunting, has now become a new exciting challenge. I also feel so lucky having my awesome colleagues by my side. ONWARDS!’